Monte Carlo (1930)

Musical Comedy - Monte Carlo review by Steve

Lesser known Ernst Lubitsch musical-comedy set in his beloved France. But, naturally, shot in the Paramount studios. Jeanette MacDonald stars as a penniless aristocrat attracted to the rich Count (Jack Buchanan) who poses as a hairdresser to get close to her. Though she can't fall in love because of his- apparent- lower social class...

And much farce ensues. It's funny, and the inimitable Lubitsch touch lends a frisson of worldly sophistication. It's rated the first film musical which uses the songs to advance the plot. They are all duets which function as dialogues between the would-be lovers. The melodies are standard, but the lyrics are witty.

There are impediments. The Countess is an unlovable snob and Jeanette hasn't the charm to make that ok. Buchanan lacks panache and virility and- crucially- can't sing. He's no stand-in for Maurice Chevalier. It's precode so there's a lot of innuendo and lingerie. But it feels odd that audiences sat still for all this continental privilege during the depression.

British actor Claud Allister stands out among the support cast. He devoted a career to playing upper class halfwits; who were known as the 'silly arse'. The comedy of manners would soon be absorbed into the more egalitarian screwball genre, set in a less elitist US. But for a few years, they offered a cosmopolitan alternative to the slapstick of the silent comedians.